THE Met Office has upgraded its weather warning for later this week, predicting that an incoming storm could bring deep flood water.

Storm Callum has been upgraded from a yellow to an amber weather warning, which covers a large part of Pembrokeshire on Friday, October 12 and Saturday, October 13.

The storm is expected to bring heavy rain between 6am on Friday and 6pm on Saturday, particularly over south-facing hills.

The Met Office has warned that homes and offices are likely to be flooded, and fast flowing or deep floodwater could cause a danger to life.

Western Telegraph:

Areas in the south and south west could see between 50 and 100mm of rain by the end of Friday, with as much as 120 to 160mm falling over high, south-facing ground.

On Saturday, areas over high ground could see a further 50 to 80mm of rain.

Pembrokeshire County Council is also warning residents to be aware of the potential for danger and disruption.

A combination of winds up to 60 mph and heavy rainfall are set to make driving conditions hazardous - including along the coast at times of high tides.

At this time of year the wind is also likely to cause more leaves to fall on the roads, which can block drains and increase localised surface flooding.

Richard Brown, Pembrokeshire County Council’s Head of Environmental Services and Public Protection, said that although Council staff would be working continuously to clear the roads, motorists would need to be vigilant.

“Despite clearance efforts by the Council, the high winds will increase the amount of falling leaves and block drains very quickly, exacerbating flooding” he warned.

He also urged extra care along the Pembrokeshire coastline.

“Natural Resources Wales has issued flood alerts for the Pembrokeshire coast due to a low pressure system bringing tidal surges, strong winds and large waves on top of high astronomical tide period” he continued.

“The public are asked to be careful on all roads due to surface water flooding and in coastal areas, especially at high tide. Road users should also be aware of the risk of their vehicles aquaplaning on standing water.”

Pembrokeshire County Council is working with multi-agency partners to monitor the situation.

Any developments will be posted at:  www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/alerts

Train services between Swansea and Carmarthen are being suspended during parts of Friday because of Storm Callum.

Arriva Trains Wales is planning to shut the line between 7am and 11am on Friday morning and in the evening.

It is because the storm is likely to coincide with high tides around the south Wales coast.

Natural Resources Wales’ (NRW) have said they are sending out their emergency response teams to prepare for the storm, checking that flood defences are in good working order, clearing gulleys and ditches, and installing temporary defences.

NRW will issue flood alerts and warnings if rivers reach trigger levels, with teams monitoring river levels 24 hours a day.

Gary White, NRW’s Duty Tactical Manager, said: “The current forecasted rain could cause flooding this week, especially in south and west Wales, and we are urging people to prepare themselves.

“Our teams are doing all they can to reduce the risk for communities, but if there is flooding we want to make sure people are doing all they can to keep themselves safe.”

NRW has also advised people to take extra care will driving, to avoid walking or driving through any flood water, and to avoid fast flowing rivers and streams.

Winds of up to 60 mph are also expected to hit Pembrokeshire, which combined with high tides could lead to some coastal impact due to large waves.

While heavy rain is expected to continue into the Saturday, the wind is currently believed to ease off by Friday evening.

If flooding does occur there is a chance that trains or bus services could be cancelled.

Flood alerts and flood warnings are updated on the Natural Resources Wales website every 15 minutes and are available to view at www.naturalresources.wales/flooding or by calling 0345 988 1188.

For the latest weather information go to: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/warnings